Historically Black College Or University Research Articles

Student Learning Communities: An Avenue to Academic Affairs and Student Affairs Partnerships at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

AbstractThis chapter provides an insiders’ view of a partnership between student affairs and academic affairs at one historically Black college or university (HBCU). Using a learning communities initiative as the primary example, we describe how the two divisions have intentionally created a durable working partnership for student success.

HBCU Collegiate Students’ Reflections of a Youth-Adult Partnership

Leisure service providers consistently initiate positive youth development (PYD) programs for youth. Implementing a modified approach to providing services for youth community members, adult participants partnered alongside youth to form a youth-adult partnership in the current study. This article examines the influence of a youth-adult partnership from the reflections of adult participants in a Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) program at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Responses from pre and post-partnership focus group sessions displayed the personal and professional development the partnership provided adult participants. Findings from their reflections show support for HBCU’s HPER program’s impact while working alongside youth community members. Strengths and weaknesses of youth-adult partnerships (Y-AP) are identified for aspiring leisure service providers and collegiate programs who seek to form successful Y-AP. Subscribe to JPRA

Addressing Information Literacy and the Digital Divide in Higher Education

Aim/Purpose: The digital divide and educational inequalities remain a significant societal problem in the United States, and elsewhere, impacting low income, first-generation, and minority learners. Accordingly, institutions of higher education are challenged to meet the needs of students with varying levels of technological readiness with deficiencies in information and digital literacy shown to be a hindrance to student success. This paper documents the efforts of a mid-Atlantic minority-serving institution as it seeks to assess, and address, the digital and information literacy skills of underserved students Background: A number of years ago, a historically Black university in Maryland developed an institutional commitment to the digital and information literacy of their students. These efforts have included adoption of an international certification exam used as a placement test for incoming freshmen; creation of a Center for Student Technology Certification and Training; course redesign, pre and post testing in computer applications courses; and a student perception survey. Methodology: A multi-methodological approach was applied in this study which relied on survey results, pre and post testing of students enrolled in introductory and intermediate computer applications courses, and scores from five years of placement testing. Student pre and post test scores were compared in order to examine degree of change, and post test scores were also assessed against five years of scores from the same test used as a placement for incoming freshmen. Finally, a student perception and satisfaction survey was administered to all students enrolled in the courses under consideration. The survey included a combination of dichotomous, Likert-scaled, and ranking questions and was administered electronically. The data was subsequently exported to Microsoft Excel and SPSS where descriptive statistical analyses were conducted. Contribution: This study provides research on a population (first-generation minority college students) that is expanding in numbers in higher education and that the literature reports as being under-prepared for academic success. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of current studies examining the information and technological readiness of students specifically enrolled at minority serving institutions. As such, this paper is timely and relevant and helps to extend our discourse on the digital divide and technological readiness as it impacts higher education. The students included in this study are representative of those enrolled in Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) in the United States, giving this paper broad implications across the country. Internationally, most countries have populations of first-generation college students from under-served populations for whom a lack of digital readiness is an also an issue therefore giving this study a global relevance. Findings: The digital divide is a serious concern for higher education, especially as schools seek to increasingly reach out to underserved populations. In particular, the results of this study show that students attending a minority serving institution do not come to college with the technology skills needed for academic success. Pre and post testing of students, as well as responses to survey questions, have proven the efficacy of computer applications courses at building the technology skills of students. These courses are viewed overwhelmingly positive by students with respondents reporting that they are a necessary part of the college experience that benefits them academically and professionally. Use of an online simulated learning and assessment system with immediate automated feedback and remediation was also found to be particularly effective at building the computer and information literacy skills of students. The total sample size for this study was over 2,800 individuals as data from 2690 IC3 tests administered over a five year period were considered, as well as 160 completed surveys, and pre and post testing of 103 students. Recommendations for Practitioners: Institutions of higher education should invest in a thorough examination of the information and technology literacy skills, needs, and perceptions of students both coming into the institution as well as following course completion. Recommendation for Researchers: This research should be expanded to more minority serving institutions across the United States as well as abroad. This particular research protocol is easily replicated and can be duplicated at both minority and majority serving institutions enabling greater comparisons across groups. Impact on Society: The results of this research help to shed light on a problem that desperately needs to be addressed by institutions of higher education, which is the realities of the digital divide and the under preparedness of entering college students in particular those who are from low income, first generation, and minority groups Future Research: A detailed quantitative survey study is being conducted that seeks to examine the technology uses, backgrounds, needs, interests, career goals, and professional expectations with respect to a range of currently relevant technologies.

African American student achievement and the historically Black University: the role of student engagement

Student engagement is associated with a variety of positive outcomes, including student achievement, satisfaction, and persistence to degree completion. While previous research has demonstrated a positive relationship between student engagement and learning outcomes within individual courses, the literature has yet to investigate this relationship at a historically Black college or university (HBCU). The theory of intercultural effort suggests that minority students must put forth additional effort in to their studies in order to succeed in an academic environment that favors students from the majority race or culture, such as what is commonly observed at predominantly white universities. In contrast, African American students who attend HBCUs may benefit from a campus climate that is sensitive to their needs and culture of origin. Thus, the present study examined the role of student engagement for predicting student achievement among an African American undergraduate sample from a HBCU (N = 241). Using each student’s final grade in a psychology course, a regression model predicted student achievement (R2 = .265, p < .001), and student engagement remained significant over-and-above the effect of student demographic variables. These findings highlight the importance of improving African American students’ perceptions about their ability to succeed academically, suggesting that African American students who consistently put effort in to their course and believed that they could succeed did indeed perform higher than their peers. Other significant predictors of student achievement included student age, gender, and the number of years that they had attended college. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Faculty mentoring: Applying ecological theory to practice at historically Black colleges or universities

ABSTRACTThis article examines student mentoring at historically Black colleges or universities (HBCUs) through the lens of ecological theory. By examining the person’s human behavior on a micro level and the HBCU on a macro level, the researchers will examine faculty mentoring as a positive influence that assists students in advancing their educational pursuits. Specifically, this article examines how the faculty mentor assists students with navigating the various outer and inner forces that may impede more functional behaviors as they transition to graduate school. This information is important in helping to codify and promote the unique role that HBCU faculty and administrators play in the lives of their students from a student perspective. This article will help to demonstrate why the HBCU experience is not only valued, but necessary in higher education.

Feeling like an “Alien” or “Family”? Comparing students and faculty experiences of diversity in STEM disciplines at a PWI and an HBCU

This qualitative exploration of diversity experiences among undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in STEM disciplines at a predominantly White institution (PWI) and a historically Black college or university (HBCU) in a Mid-Atlantic state finds that the level of diversity and inclusiveness may matter to how Students of Color experience inclusion in their academic programs. Participants at the PWI described feeling excluded, voicing concerns about institutional struggles with creating an inclusive campus climate; whereas, participants at the HBCU perceived STEM disciplines to be diverse and viewed their programs and the institution as supportive of their needs.

Improving the climate for LGBTQ students at an Historically Black University

ABSTRACTAfrican American lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students attending an Historically Black College or University (HBCU) may experience bullying. Using snowball sampling, the authors recruited six LGBTQ students for a focus group to learn how they perceived their HBCU campus atmosphere toward LGBTQ students. Thirty faculty members, with unknown sexual orientation, were recruited through e-mail. All groups reported bullying but that the LGBTQ student activity group had improved the atmosphere during the past several years and that faculty needed sensitivity training and administration should take the lead. A curriculum is introduced to provide training to faculty and students to increase support of LGBTQ students.

Art Matters: Howard University's Department of Art from 1921 to 1971

Art MattersHoward University's Department of Art from 1921 to 1971 Rebecca VanDiver (bio) Since its 1867 establishment, Howard University has been an epicenter of Black intellectualism frequently hailed as the "capstone of Negro education." Historian Zachery R. Williams notes that "from 1926 to 1970 [Howard] represented the center of Black intellectual life, and its scholars were heirs to the legacy of W. E. B. DuBois' 'talented tenth'" (Williams 1). The Howard Department of Art is a central yet understudied component of this intellectual nexus. Founded in 1921 by James V. Herring (1887–1969), the Department of Art at Howard University was the first stand-alone studio art department at a historically Black college or university (HBCU). During the 1930s, the department became the center for both the production and study of African American art, combining studio practice with the study of art history (Driskell, African American Visual Aesthetics 5). During the era of segregation, from which not even the nation's capital was immune, Howard University offered Black Washingtonians access to a host of intellectual and cultural offerings that were otherwise unavailable to them. Howard's Department of Art played a key role in promoting the fine arts to the Howard student body and to the larger Washington, DC, community. In what follows, I survey the department's history during its first fifty years, from its foundation in 1921 through 1971, the year after the untimely death of then-chair James Porter (1905–1970) and the subsequent arrival on campus of artist/art historian Jeff R. Donaldson (1932–2004). Donaldson's entrance marked a substantial and politically charged "period of redefinition" for the department (Morrison, Art in Washington 12). I consider the various human, spatial, and ideological components that coalesced during this fifty-year period, which enabled the idea of African American art history to germinate within the Department of Art. Through this historiography, I seek not only to excavate the central role of Howard's Department of Art in the formations of Black art histories (here African and African American) but also to ponder how one writes about an academic department (here a fine arts department) as a holistic entity responsible for both knowledge and cultural production. In 1945, a new class titled "Art 133: Negro Art" appeared in the Howard University course catalogue. James A. Porter was listed as the instructor of record for this class, which was billed as "a study of the creative forces of the Negro in the Americas" (Howard University Bulletin, 1945–1947). With its initial offering, Porter's course institutionalized the study of African American art history and foregrounded the Howard University Department of Art as a critical center in the nascent field. "Art 133" was a natural outgrowth of Porter's research. Two years prior, he had published the ten-chapter Modern Negro Art, which, with its coverage of African American visual production from slavery up until the contemporary moment, was the first comprehensive survey of the subject. In the preface to Modern Negro Art, Porter tells readers that "the activity of locating and collecting the facts" for the book had actually begun [End Page 1199] Click for larger view View full resolution Cover of James A. Porter's 1943 Modern Negro Art [End Page 1200] ten years earlier, when he was both teaching painting at Howard University and pursuing a master's degree in art history at New York University. Porter would become one of the pioneering historians of African American art. Like his colleagues in the Department of Art, Loïs Mailou Jones and James L. Wells, Porter had diverse, concurrent research and pedagogical commitments. He was a studio art teacher, a budding art historian, and a practicing artist in his own right. In fact, as he began research for Modern Negro Art, Porter was also making art history: in 1933, he won the Harmon Foundation's Schomburg Portrait Prize for his 1932 painting Woman Holding a Jug (see pg. 1114 in this issue). Such varied and simultaneous intellectual and artistic trajectories force us to consider the Howard University Department of Art as staffed with more than just art instructors, but also picture-makers and theorists who influenced...

FACEBOOK USE BY ACCOUNTING STUDENTS AT MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS

ABSTRACT This study investigates differences in cultural/environmental academic context affect Accounting students' perceptions of Facebook assimilation and its role in academics by assessing survey data collected from students at two minority-serving universities. Survey questions derived from studies examining the use of Facebook for academic purposes and its impact on academic performance were administered to students enrolled in core undergraduate business courses at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) and at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). In addition to demographic information, students were asked about their Facebook use and how they perceive its role, assimilation and impact in their personal and academic lives. Only students who identified themselves as Accounting majors were included in the analysis. The findings indicate that significant differences exist between HBCU and HSI accounting majors. HSI accounting majors report marginally higher GPAs, tend to spend significantly more time on Facebook and other social media, and report significantly higher levels of assimilation, academic use and academic impact than their HBCU counterparts. Keywords Assimilation, Attitude, Facebook, Social network, Students, HBCU, HIS

Communicating and Sharing in the Semantic Web: An Examination of Social Media Risks, Consequences, and Attitudinal Awareness

Empowered by and tethered to ubiquitous technologies, the current generation of youth yearns for opportunities to engage in self-expression and information sharing online with personal disclosure no longer governed by concepts of propriety and privacy. This raises issues about the unsafe online activities of teens and young adults. The following paper presents the findings of a study examining the social networking activities of undergraduate students and also highlights a program to increase awareness of the dangers and safe practices when using and communicating, via social media. According to the survey results, young adults practice risky social networking site (SNS) behaviors with most having experienced at least one negative consequence. Further, females were more likely than males to engage in oversharing as well as to have experienced negative consequences. Finally, results of a post-treatment survey found that a targeted program that includes flyers, posters, YouTube videos, handouts, and in-class information sessions conducted at a Mid-Atlantic Historically Black College or University (HBCU) increased student awareness of the dangers of social media as well as positively influenced students to practice more prudent online behaviors.

The Effect of Enrolling in a Minority-Serving Institution for Black and Hispanic Students in Texas

Using state administrative data for three cohorts of college enrollees from 1997 to 2008 and incorporating propensity score matching techniques, we examine the effects of attending a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI)—that is, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) or a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)—on college-completion outcomes in Texas. Descriptively, we find the gender gap among Black students to be quite stark, with more Black males than females enrolling in HBCUs, although this gap has decreased over time. The income gap is greatest among Hispanic students, with economically disadvantaged students enrolling more frequently at HSIs and those more economically advantaged enrolling in traditional institutions, or non-HSIs. To address this selection bias, we conducted a propensity score analysis in our assessment of college completion. The results indicate that, after matching similar students who attend and do not attend an MSI and conditioning on institutional capacity factors, we no longer see a difference between the bachelor’s degree completion rates of Hispanic and Black students who do enroll in an MSI and those who do not for most of the cohorts examined. Where a significant negative effect on college completion does exist for Black students attending an HBCU, the rate is considerably lower in our matched sample. In sum, our results provide strong evidence that the effect of attending an MSI does not have a consistent negative or positive effect on college-graduation outcomes after matching similar students and controlling for institutional capacity, despite these schools serving a larger share of high-need and underprepared students.

A Case for University Teaching and Engagement: A Culturally Relevant Intervention to Educate Young African-American Women about Breast Cancer

According to The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) there is a new, more aggressive form of breast cancer among young African-American women. Because mammograms are not suggested for women until age 40 and young African-American women are increasingly being diagnosed, a more innovative technique is warranted. The present study utilized the expertise of scientists and professors from a biomedical center, the Department of Psychology, Health and Education, and the Department of Theater at a historically Black college or university (HBCU) to examine the impact of dramatic presentations in increasing awareness and pro-social health related behavior related to breast cancer among African-American women. One hundred and thirty-six African-American women between 18 and 39 years old participated in the present study. Researchers employed a retrospective pre–post test design to assess the impact of theater on young women's knowledge and propensity for pro-social health related behaviors. Paired sample t-test revealed significant increases in knowledge about breast cancer and mammograms. Participants reported an increase in intentions to change behavior and also wanted to become more involved in efforts to reduce breast cancer in the African-American community.

“Nothing Better or Worse Than Being Black, Gay, and in the Band”

This collective case study examined the experiences of four African American gay band students attending historically Black colleges or universities (HCBUs) in the southern United States. This study explored influences that shaped the participants’ identities as they negotiated numerous complex sociocultural discourses pervasive and challenging to gay African American band students. Utilizing participative inquiry, participants were asked to read, reflect on, and respond to historical and current research literature concerning the schooling experiences of Black students. Their responses were analyzed within a multifaceted theoretical framework, including poststructual theory, critical race theory, critical theory, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBT2Q) studies. Present throughout the participants’ descriptions was an ever-evolving and renegotiated gay African American identity within the HBCU band setting. Findings indicate that the construction of an African American gay male identity within an HBCU band setting was a source of tremendous consternation concurrent with positive experiences of acceptance and community. Numerous implications for music educators in K–12 settings are provided, including recognizing and stemming bullying and harassment in classroom settings.

Faculty as undergraduate research mentors for students of color: Taking into account the costs

AbstractThis article is based on the findings of a 2‐year study that examined the nature of effective faculty/student undergraduate research (UR) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) relationships. The study site was a large urban public college where three fourths of all incoming freshmen receive need‐based aid; and although not a historically Black college or university (HBCU), 85% are students of color. The college offers 2‐ and 4‐year STEM degree programs. Utilizing cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) as both a theoretical and methodological framework, this phenomenological study employed semistructured interviews, written surveys, and member checking to understand four paired faculty/student UR mentoring relationships over 2 years. The findings not only concur with the bulk of UR research, indicating UR's promise for addressing the low enrollment and retention rates of students of color in the STEM disciplines but also raise issues around the emotional, financial, and professional costs to UR faculty. It is these costs that are the focus of this article that concludes with ideas, for university and college administrators and all others concerned, about on how we might support faculty in UR's crucial work toward the goal of retaining students of color in STEM. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96:527–542, 2012

Factors Associated with Incidents of Sexual Assault among Undergraduate Women at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Despite high rates of sexual assault among undergraduate women and evidence that the prevalence of sexual assault varies by race, virtually nothing is known about sexual assault experiences of undergraduate women who attend a historically black college or university (HBCU). The present study addresses this gap in the literature by examining factors associated with experiencing sexual assault victimization among HBCU women. Findings suggest that the factors associated with sexual assault among HBCU women are similar to those found in prior research of women at predominantly white universities and that some risk factors are differentially associated with experiencing specific types of sexual assault.

A Glimpse at Discovery Tools within the HBCU Library Landscape

Discussions involving discovery tools range from dissatisfaction to celebration. Some contend that discovery tools present IT setbacks, expose internal library cataloging or metadata challenges, inhibit students from developing true information navigation skills, and create sustainability problems amidst realities of shrinking library budgets coupled with increasing electronic resource costs. Conversely, other librarians are optimistic; they claim that discovery tools help bridge the information divide and excite users to navigate, and, thereby, utilize the maze of library resources. Virtually no library literature analyzes discovery tool usage from the Historically Black College or University (HBCU) perspective. The goal here is to assess discovery tool acquisition, library instruction, challenges, and librarian attitudes relating to Web-scale discovery tools.

Effects of Ethnic/Racial Identification on Case-Based Learning Outcomes in a Psychology Course at a Historically Black College/University

African American students tend to have better learning outcomes if they can identify with the educational process. Two types of schemata may account for the influence of ethnic/racial identification on learning outcomes: the schema that reflects the ethnic/racial or cultural identity of African American students, and a second schema paradigm that is the relational schema induction theory. Ethnic/racial identification with a learning task facilitates Black students’ ability to identify the relations among the elements of the task, create a mental analog, and apply it to novel learning situations. This notion was tested in a post hoc evaluation of a case-based learning approach to teaching abnormal psychology to a class of 39 undergraduate students at a historically Black college or university (HBCU). This study compared case studies about an African American, European American, and Native American in terms of their effect on learning outcomes. The hypothesis was that the African American case would be associated more strongly with learning outcomes. Results from structural equation modeling analyses supported the hypothesis. Implications for teaching and learning among African American students are discussed.

Re-membering Black Greeks: Racial Memory and Identity in Stomp the Yard

Critical sociological analysis suggests that the film Stomp the Yard immerses its audience in a myopic legend of African American fraternities and sororities. Combining historical photos of Civil Rights leaders, traditions of ‘stepping’, tales of meritocratic social uplift, and romanticized aspects of historically black college or university (HBCU) culture, Stomp the Yard reveals a hyper-individualistic, conservative, and politically blunted form of historiography. Specifically, five ideological mythologies ground the film’s construction of Civil Rights memory and racialized identities. These mythologies decisively fail to interrogate the complexity of black fraternities and sororities. In so doing, they invite a critical blindness to these organizations’ role in past Civil Rights struggles as well as their intersection with contemporary issues such as classism, hazing, and resistance to contemporary forms of racism and racial inequality.

Geospatial Education at North Carolina Central University: An HBCU Perspective

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) es reconocida como una de las principales instituciones para afro-americanos doctorados en geografía, y es una de las dos únicas Universidades Históricamente Negras (HBCU) en el sureste ofreciendo un grado en Geografía (McKee y Dixon 2004). En un esfuerzo por aumentar la calidad de la educación geoespacial y la investigación geoespacial, el Centro de Enseñanza Innovadora y Servicio (GRITS) fue creado en 2006 en la NCCU. El Centro de GRITS es un centro para el desarrollo del currículo de las Ciencias de Información Geográfica (SIG), el profesorado y talleres profesionales, programas de pasantías, actividades de divulgación y de diversas asociaciones en el ámbito geoespacial—y como consecuencia, les abre las puertas del mundo profesional a nuestros estudiantes. Este ensayo describe las actividades y programas que pueden servir de modelo para el desarrollo de programas geoespaciales en las HBCU y en otras instituciones de similar tamaño tratando de añadir nuevas disciplinas a su repertorio como el SIG.

Wellness and College Type in African American Male College Students: An Examination of Differences

African American male students (N = 203) attending a historically Black college or university (HBCU) and a predominantly White institution (PWI) participated in a study to determine differences in wellness. HBCU students scored significantly higher than did PWI students on Friendship, Love, Sense of Control, and Gender Identity. PWI students scored significantly higher than did HBCU students on Sense of Worth. Implications and future research directions are suggested.